STAFF and students gathered for a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the start of a £1.5million extension to Fullbrook 6, the sixth form college attached to Fullbrook School in New Haw.

The project has been developed thanks to an investment from Learning Partners Academy Trust, formerly Athena GEP. It is designed to take students’ experience to a new level, in preparation for life beyond sixth-form studies.

The new building is intended to provide an inspirational learning environment in an attractive, stimulating and adaptable space which motivates everyone continuing their education at Fullbrook 6.

There will be a modern media hub, a university style lecture theatre, improved classrooms and independent and group study spaces, along with a new common room and a café that has access to an enclosed garden.

There will be plenty of natural light in the extension due to most of its spaces being south facing. The project is scheduled to be completed in time for the current Year 10 pupils starting their A-level studies in September 2023.

On the day of the ceremony, Fullbrook 6 was also holding taster sessions for the school’s Year 11 pupils, who will have partial use of the new facilities during their time in the sixth form.

The director of Fullbrook 6, Toby Clouston, said: “The new facility will be a substantial upgrade. My priority during its creation is to ensure that students continue to receive a high-quality education and that they retain the separate facilities that give Fullbrook 6 its independent character.”